Illegal workers and bosses arrested in raids

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Immigration officers arrested eight suspected illegal workers and 11 employers in two days of raids this week.

A man and four women, aged 21 to 59, were arrested on Monday, when immigration task force officers raided 12 locations across the city, including restaurants, a home for the elderly, a recycling store and homes under renovation, an Immigration Department spokesman said.

One of the men arrested held a recognisance form, which prohibits employment, while a woman was suspected of using a forged Hong Kong identity card. Two men and three women, aged 24 to 57, were arrested for allegedly employing them.

The spokesman said three illegal workers were charged with breaching their conditions of stay. They were convicted at Sha Tin Court on Wednesday and were jailed for between two and 14 months. They will be deported on their release

On Wednesday, officers raided ten more locations including a foreign exchange bureau, public refuse collection points and factories under renovation. A man and two women, aged 29 to 49, were arrested for working illegally. One woman was suspected of using a forged identity card. They were detained.

Meanwhile, five men and s woman, aged 30 to 59, were suspected of employing the illegal workers were arrested.

'Visitors are not allowed to take up employment in Hong Kong, whether paid or unpaid, without the permission of the immigration director,' the spokesman said.

'Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction face a maximum fine of HK$50,000 and up to two years' imprisonment.'

He also appealed to employers not to employ illegal workers. Those convicted of employing illegal workers would be subject to a maximum fine of HK$350,000 and up to three years in prison.